Oilers forward Ben Eager returns to strategies that have led to past success

Edmonton Sun | Feb 23

Ben Eager went back to what was working for him.

Having struggled to find his place in the Edmonton Oilers lineup last year, the hulking winger decided to return to basics this off-season.

As a result, Eager is putting together a solid campaign for the Oilers and re-establishing his one-man-wrecking-crew reputation.

“Ben Eager has been the energy player that we need and we brought to Edmonton for,” said Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger. “With his physicality and his size, he makes people afraid in the right way. The way the game of hockey should be played.

“We’re very excited about the version of Ben Eager we have right now. He’s fit, he’s really been a great teammate and his hits are going to spread around the league and we need that badly in our team.”

Built like a linebacker with impressive skating ability, Eager is a rare combination of size and speed that all NHL teams crave.

The nine-year veteran made a conscious effort to come into the season in the best shape possible, allowing him to use those assets to the best of his capabilities.

“The way he moves that body is amazing,” Krueger said. “It speaks to the way he trained in the off-season, it speaks to his summer. When we spoke in the summer, he gave me a list of things that he was planning to do for whenever the season started. It’s one thing to say things, it’s another to do them and he’s done those things and that’s why he’s playing the way he is.”